Car-coupling



(Ifo Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

` M. J. ALTHOUSE.

GAB. GOUPLING Patented Feb. '7, 1893.

v (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. J; ALTHOUSE.

GAR coUPLING.

No. 491,503. Patented Feb. 7, 1893.

stiften.

MIL() JACKSON ALTHOUSE, OF VAUPUN, VISCONSIN.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,503, dated February'7, 1893.

Application filed March 14, 1892. Serial No. 424.737. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.;

Be it known that I, MILO JACKSON ALT- HOUSE, residing in the city ofWaupun, in the county of Fond du Lac and'State of Wisconsin,haveinvented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car-Couplers, of whichthe following, in connection with the drawings accompanying and forminga part hereof, is a full and complete description, sufficient to enablethose skilled in the art to understand, make, and use the same.

My invention relates to automatic car couplers, as they are known in theart, that is car couplers which shall automatically, upon the bringingtogether of cars to which they are attached, become coupled, without theassistance or interference of the person or persons in charge thereof.And the objects of my invention are to obtain a car coupler, whichshall, when desired, automatically couple, when cars are broughttogether; which can be uncoupled at any time, without requiring a personto go between the cars to do the same; which shall be eflicient inaction, simple in construction, and strong, and durable in use; toobtain an automatic coupler so constructed that a car having thereon theordinary link and pin coupling can be attached thereto withoutadjustment of any of the parts thereof; to obtain an attachment whichmay be secured to an ordinary link and pin coupling or draft iron, andby which there shall thereby be obtained an automatic car coupler of thecharacter hereinabove named; to obtain an automatic car coupler by meansof which no throwing into or out of position of the several parts, orany of them,is required, when either end of a car is presented to asecond car for coupling thereto.

A still further object of myinvention is to obtain an automatic carcoupler of the character named, by which, when two cars are broughttogether, the same shall not be coupled, if so desired, or one of twopossible couplings shall be automatically made, and in addition theretothe ordinary link and pin cou pling may be made, when, as in passingover heavy grades or with an unusually long and heavy train the same isneeded.

An automatic car coupler embodying the inventions by means of which Iaccomplish the several above named results is illustrated in thedrawings, in whichx Figure l, is a side elevation of the ends of twocars having my automatic coupler on each one thereof; the ends of thecars being near to each other but the couplers not in engagement; Fig.2, a horizontal sectional View on line 2-2 of Fig. l,viewed in thedirection indicated by the arrows; Fig. 3, an end elevation of a carhaving the coupler thereon; Fig. 4, an end elevation of a modificationof the device; Fig. 5, a plan view on an enlarged scale of one end ofthe hook forming a part of the coupler; and Fig. 6, a cross-section ofthe hook on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, Viewed in the direction indicated by thearrows.

The same letter of reference is used to indicate a given part where morethan one view thereof is shown in the several figures of the drawings.

A, represents one end of a car; and A', one end of an adjacent car.

B, is an ordinary link and pin coupler, drawhead, or draft iron, as itis termed, attached to a oar in the ordinary manner, and forming a partof the device obtained by me.

b, is a pin, indicated by dotted lines, by which a link is secured inthe draw-head or draft iron.

D, is the outer end of a draw-head ordraft iron embodying my inventionand consists of the link and pin coupling device B, the frame E, and thehorizontally j ournaled coupling hook F. The part E of the draw-head ordraft iron D may be and ordinarily is integral with the part B thereofbut may be, as

illustrated in Fig. 4., constructed separate4 therefrom and securedthereto by the bolts d, d, and plate d', or other equivalent means. Thepart E of the draw-head ordraft iron consists of the horizontal platese, c', the vertical bars c2 e3, having beveled edges e4, and the journalbearings 'e5 in which the hook F is journaled. Vhere the part B of thedraw- 9 head D is integral with part E thereof the horizontal plate c iscommon to both parts. The journal bearing e5 is illust-rated in Fig. 2,as having at the outer end thereof a horizontal axis greater than thediameter of the shaft f of the hook F, which is journaled therein and atthe inner end circular and of about the IOO e tenses same diameter assuch shaft. A lateral movement of such hook in a horizontal plane isthereby permissible to the right or left, as indicated by the dottedlines representing one of such hooks as thrown to the right. Edges f,f,of the hook F are curved in the same mannerasin thehookillustrated anddescribed in Patents Nos. 47,985, and 466,221, so that when the pointofthe arrowis broughtagainst the beveled edges e, e4 of the Vertical barse2, e3, the hook is rotated in itsjournal bearing@5 so that thewingsffg, are vertical or nearly so and thereby adapted to pass betweensuch bars to the rear of the same, and F', is a weight secured to theshaftf of the hook F to one side thereof which automaticallyturns thehook back so that the wings ffg, thereof are horizontal or nearly soafter such wings have passed beyond the bars e2, e3.

The operation of coupling just described is the same in my device as inthe devices set out in the patents named, so far as the automaticengagement of the hook F with the bars c2 e3, is concerned.

G, is a rotatable rod extending across the end of the car A', g, an armrigidly secured to rod G; and g', a chain extending from arm g to weightF.

G', is a handle on rod G by which the rod can be rotated and thereby theouter end of the arm g brought upward from the position in which it isillustrated in Fig. l, carrying along therewith the chain g intoposition whereby the hook F is turned in its journal bearings so thatthe wings f2, f2, of the hook, Fare inavertical or nearly so position;and H, is a spring catch adapted to engage with the arm g and maintainit in a raised position.

I, is a rod extending down the end of the car, secured at its lower endto the arm g whereby such arm can be raised by a person standing on thetop of the car (the rod G turning therewith). The spring catch H is madesufficiently flexible to allow the arm g to automatically engagetherewith when turning up into proper position, and to be disengagedtherefrom by forcing the crank arm G or the rod I downward, while at thesame time it is ,not suiiiciently flexible to permit the arm g to becomeautomatically disengaged therefrom.

It will be observed that the axiallineof the hook F, when the same isinthe position illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 3, is to one sideof the pin b, in part B of the coupling, a distance equal to thedistance the center of the opening between the bars e2 and c3 is to theother side of such pin Z9, the position of such pin being indicated bythe dotted lines lettered b, and the pin Z9 being supposed to be on thecentral line of the cars, A, A', respectively. It is evident that whenadjacent cars are brought together, each one having thereon a couplingembodying my device, the axial line of the hook on the one car will comemidway of the opening between the bars e2 ci in the coupler on theadjacent car, and the axial line of the hook on such adjacent car willbe midway between the bars e2 and e3, of the coupler on the first namedcar,and hence that the hook of each of such couplers will pass betweenthe bars on the adjacent coupler and by falling back intoitsinitialposition, become automatically engaged therewith; provided, ofcourse, that the arm g is substantially 1n the position illustrated inFig. 1 of the drawings, so that the weight F may actuate such hook. ltis further evident that if one of such hooks be in the positionillustrated in Fig. l, of the drawings and the other thereof be held, bymeans of the arm g and chain g', in position so that the wingsf2f2 are-substantially in a vertical plane, that such wings may and will passbetween the bars e2 e3 of the adjacent coupler, though such hook wlllnot engage with such bars and may be withdrawn therefrom. Henceif thehooks on both cars be held so that the wings f2, f2 of each thereof aresubstantially in a vertical planel the cars will not be coupled,although the heads of the hooks may pass into position behind the barse2, e3.

The part E of the draw bar D being attached or built int-o the part Bthereof, and underneath such part B, and the length of the shaft of thehook F being properly determined so that when the cars are coupled thepart B of adjacent draw-heads are b rought close together, a link may beinserted 1n such part B of the draw-head and there held by the in Z). pIn the Patent NoAGGZl, thefeature whereby a link and pin coupling may beobtained at the same time a hook coupling is secured IOO is shown, butin my device as hereinbefore dei scribed, and as illustrated in thedrawings,a double hook coupling is obtainable, and in addition thereto alink and pin coupling.

By the device illustrated and described herein either end of a car canbe brought to either end of an adjacent car and automatically coupledthereto, without throwing any of the parts into or out of their ordinaryposition and hence the necessity of the revolving feature of thedraw-head illustrated and described in Yboth of the patents referred tois obviated and a draw-head can be constructed which is rigid throughoutthe several parts thereof, other than the horizontally rotatory movementof the coupling pin F, and hence much greater efficiency in thepractical working of the car coupling, and much greater strength andconsequent durability of such car coupling is obtained than has beenheretofore secured.

Ihave found in practice that where the journal bearing c5 is made of theshape described and illustrated and the weight F is attached to theshaft of the hook in the ma11- ner illustrated and described toyieldingly hold the wings of the hook in a horizontal plane, when suchweight is allowed to drop and thejvings are thereby turned from a IIOvertical to a horizontal position, in such turning the hook will assumesubstantially the position illustrated in Fig 2, of the drawings. I donot, however, make the major or horizontal axis of the ellipsis of thejournal bearing sufficiently great to carry the winged end of the hookor to permit its being carried sufficiently to one side to come otherthan between the bars e2 e3 when two cars are brought together to becoupled.

The part B of the head D is designed to receive the shock consequentupon cars com ing together in a coupling, as well as to receive, whendesired, the link and pins as hereinbefore described, and hence in thisdevice the position of such part B is maintained in the same place as isthe ordinary draft iron or draw-head of a common link and pin coupler;hence when the part E of the coupler is secured to part B by thefastening d, d, the resulting coupler is as efficient as when the twoparts B and E are integral, and I therefore attain by the combination ofthe part E and an ordinary link and pin draw-head or draft iron and thefast-enings and coupler, substantially the same coupler in all practicalways as the coupler illustrated in Figs. l, 2, and 3 hereinbeforedescribed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:-

l. In a car coupler, the combination of a link and pin draw head with ahead underneath such link and pin draw head integral therewith, parallelbars in such lower head to 011e side of its center, a rotatable arrowhorizontally journaled in such lower head on the other side of suchcenter so that the wings of the, head of the arrow are normally thoughyieldingly held in a horizontal plane, with the edges of the wings ofthe head of the arrow curved, whereby when two cars are broughttogether, each having such a coupler thereon, the head of the arrow ofone coupler will enter the space between the parallel bars of theadjacent coupler, thereby partially rotating the arrow in its journalbearing, and pass beyond such bars, and thereupon such wings of the headof the arrow will automatically resume position in a horizontal planeand engage with the parallel bars of the ad jacent coupler, and the linkand pin drawhead forming part of such adjacent couplers will act asbuiers to receive the shock incident to coupling; substantially asdescribed.

2. In a car coupler, a hook having double wings with curved edges tosuch Wings, in combination with a journal bearing in the draw bar, suchjournal bearing being circular in cross-section at the rear end thereof,and elliptical in cross-section at the front end thereof, with the minoraxis vertical, and the major axis horizontal, whereby horizontalmovement of the winged end ofV the hook is permitted in its journalbearing; substantially as described.

MILO JACKSON ALTIIOUSE. In presence of- WILLIAM BANNERMAN, CHARLESTURNER BROWN.,

